


Incantations of Malevolent

by misseljebel



Category: Little Witch Academia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2018-10-26 20:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10794105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misseljebel/pseuds/misseljebel
Summary: When an evil witch of black magic terrorizes England, it's up to Akko and the school to stop her. But can they do it before she swallows the land in darkness?





	1. Chapter 1

It was August. The start of the new school year. An influx of students would be coming in, all attending Luna Nova academy, the school for witches. The underclass girls chattered excitedly, sitting in a large auditorium. In the front, a girl stood. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and she had a studious, series demeanor.  
"Welcome to Luna Nova Academy," the girl greeted, the room growing quiet as the attention shifted to her. Her stature was perfect and straight, her face serious, and her ice blue eyes piercing the audience. "All you have the potential to become excellent witches, but you have to put the effort into it first."  
Akko sat in her dorm, Lotte and Sucy with her. They were dressed in white t-shirts and sweatpants. Lotte was typing on her laptop, looking at Akko out of the corner of her eyes. Sucy was lying in her bed, reading a book on ancient witchcraft. Akko was sitting on her bed. She grinned and clasped her hands together. "I can't wait to meet the new girls! I wonder if I'll make any new friends?"  
Lotte blushed and looked at the ground, crossing her legs. She looked nervously, her eyes avoiding both of their gazes. "I hope they're nice..." She murmured.  
A suspicious smile crept across Sucy's face, and she set the book down, looking over at Akko. The Japanese girl stared back at her, her eyebrows furrowed. "I can't wait to try my potions on them," Sucy laughed. Akko gave her a concerned look.  
"Sucy, you truly are the source of all evil in this world," Akko frowned. Sucy shrugged and snickered, lifting her book back up and reading it, her eyes darting between each line.   
There was a knock on the door. Akko jumped up enthusiastically and swung open the door. There stood Amanda, her piercing green eyes meeting Akko's. Akko blushed a bit.  
"Hey Akko," Amanda said, stepping inside. Jasminka and Constanze followed close behind. Jasminka was eating as usual, a bag of multicolored candy in her hand, and Costanze's little robot was perched on her shoulder. She called it Erich.  
Amanda sat down on Akko's bed, leaning against the wall. She stretched her legs out, ruffling her hair and closing her eyes. "You guys excited about the new students? I heard they're coming from all over the world. Looks like witches are becoming more popular."  
Akko jumped up and down, spinning in a circle, about to burst with excitement. "I wonder if any of them know about Shiny Chariot?" She turned and admired the poster on her wall. It red “Shiny Chariot’s Magical Festa” and featured Shiny Chariot sitting on a broom with an arm extended. Akko exhaled happily and stared at it.  
Amanda sighed, standing up and putting her hand on her hip, gazing at Akko sympathetically. "Again with the Shiny Chariot stuff..." She muttered, but Akko was too excited to care.   
“Ohh! I’m so excited I can hardly wait!” Akko squealed. Amanda laughed.  
“Shall we go meet them then?” Amanda turned and opened the door, holding it open for her friends. Akko was the first one out, whipping past Amanda so fast it tousled her shirt. The others laughed and they scurried out, heading down the hallway.  
“I wonder what they’re like?” Akko bubbled, hopping up and down. She turned to face her friends, walking backwards. “I wonder what magic they all specialize in?”  
“You sure are excited, Akko,” Lotte admired, giggling. Akko nodded vigorously. Jasminka shoved more of the sweet candy in her mouth.  
“I’ll give them some of my candy, it’s happy flavor,” she mused, crumbs dribbling down her face and onto the floor.   
“I’m curious to see what they’re like as well,” Sucy muttered. She looked at Constanze, who reciprocated the gaze. She nodded slightly. She was never a girl of words, but Erich squeaked and gave Sucy a thumbs up. Sucy chuckled, baring her sharp teeth at the robot.  
They quickly sped around the corner, and ran straight into the blonde girl at the auditorium- Diana. She was taller than all of them, being older. She was dressed more professionally, in a button up shirt and a skirt. She had her hands on her hips and she glared down at them.  
"What are you six up to?" Diana questioned, a stern look on her face. Akko stood up straight, but couldn't keep her body shaking from excitement.  
"We're going to meet the new students!" She answered. Diana furrowed her eyebrows questioningly, tilting her head to the side.  
"Don't start talking about Shiny Chariot to them," Diana instructed, "you'll make a fool out of yourself."  
Akko leaned forward, letting her arms droop. “Diana, you’re no fun,” she pouted, jutting her bottom lip out. Diana rolled her eyes.  
“Well, if you want to so badly, hurry up, they’re going to their dorms in a few minutes,” Diana told them, then walked past them to her own dorm. Her dorm mates, Hanna and Barbara followed behind her, laughing at Akko.  
“Shiny Chariot, I can’t believe you’re into that fraud,” Hanna sneered. Barbara threw her head back in laughter and they walked inside the dorm.   
Akko crossed her arms angrily. “The nerve of them!” She hissed. Then she relaxed, thinking for a moment. “Well, maybe the others will like Shiny Chariot like I do.” A smile spread across her face and Akko took off past her, her legs flying, racing to the auditorium, where the new girls were gathering. Her friends ran after her, trying to keep up with her.  
Ethelinda and Ursula stood at the top of the tower. The sky was gloomy, and it looked as if a storm was heading toward them. Ethelinda, the principal, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  
"Ursula," she started, her voice somber. She held her wand in her hand, her expression grave. "Do you see the Sorcerer's Stone?" Ursula nodded slowly. "Someone is absorbing its power and using it for evil."  
Instead of its usual bright blue color, the Sorcerer's Stone was a lapis blue, darker than originally. The light rays swaying around it were a dark gray color. The air around it was heavier, weighing on them like a lid.  
"W-who could it be?" Ursula asked nervously. Ethelinda turned to Ursula.  
"I don't know," she responded. She swiveled her head to look at the darkened stone. "But whoever it is, if they aren't stopped, the effects could be devastating."  
"What do you think we should do?" Ursula asked, wringing her hands in anxiety. The way Ethelinda sounded, she knew whoever was using it would hurt not only witches, but the civilians as well.  
"We must train the girls," Ethelinda told her. "Excel their lessons. Teach them more advanced skills. Whoever this person is, they are powerful enough to absorb magic from the Sorcerer's Stone." She walked to the edge of the tower, putting her broom between her legs. "We will start their training tomorrow. I will send the message out to the rest of the teachers. Be prepared, the culprit is most likely on their way to get the Sorcerer's Stone." With that, she took off, flying toward her office. Ursula took a deep breath, nodding her head.  
"I will, Ethelinda," she whispered to herself, returning her gaze to the Sorcerer's Stone.  
It was a shade darker.


	2. Chapter 2

The girls ushered into the auditorium. The underclassmen intermingled with each other, trying to find who was in their group. There were girls from all different nationalities. It was one of the biggest new groups the school had seen.  
Akko noticed a small girl, frail, with hair pinker than Sucy's. However, much like Sucy, it covered one eye. Her bangs swooped to each side, and it was about shoulder length, and a bit curly. Her eye was a bright green, although not as piercing as Amanda's. The girl stood awkwardly off to the side, looking nervous. Her belt was purple.  
Akko walked up to the girl. "Hello!" She greeted. "My name is Atsuko Kagari, but you can just call me Akko. What's your name?"  
The girl lifted her head to meet Akko's gaze. Her lip quivered, and she furrowed her eyebrows, looking anxious. Her small frame shook.   
"I-I'm Natalie Morneau," she stuttered quietly in a French accent. She looked around. "U-um... Where am I supposed to go?"  
Akko pointed to Natalie's belt. "You're purple, so we need to find two other girls with purple." Akko responded. "Why don't you walk with me and my friends?"  
Natalie cast her look past Akko's shoulder at her friend group. They smiled at her and waved their hands in greeting. Natalie nodded, and Akko turned and headed back into the crowd.  
They squeezed past all the new girls who were standing with their groups. Akko looked around for two girls in purple. Natalie followed closely behind, playing with her hair.  
"Want some candy?" Jasminka picked a piece of candy from her bag and showed it to Natalie. "It's happy flavor."  
"Um, thanks," she murmured, taking the candy and popping it in her mouth. She chewed it slowly and the corner of her mouth raised in a small smile. She didn't look as nervous.  
Suddenly, they reached the end of the room. Two girls stood talking to each other. A black cat was perched on one of their shoulders. They chatted happily, looking as if they were already friends. Their belts were purple.  
"Hey! You girls are wearing purple!" Akko yelled. The two girls looked over, smiles on their faces.  
"Hello," the girl with the cat said. Her cat let out a meow.  
"This is Natalie Morneau!" Akko informed, pulling Natalie forward. The girls waved their hands.  
"I'm Pratibha Dwivedi," Pratibha smiled. She had a thick Indian accent. She had a bindi on her forehead and she had a thick black braid. She had large earrings and a dangling nose piercing. Her eyelids were heavy with eyeliner, and she was tall and thin. "And this is Koohara," Pratibha pointed to her cat. Koohara was jet black with bright blue eyes.  
"And I'm Nkiruka Rousseau," the other girl said. She also had a French accent, and her hair was up in a green, yellow and orange head wrap, and she had large hoop earrings. Her body was rounder, like Jasminka's. "I'm from Lome, Togo."  
"Togo?..." Amanda tilted her head to the side, and Nkiruka chuckled.  
"It's in Africa," she told her. “Don’t worry, everyone I’ve talked to who isn’t from Togo has absolutely no idea Togo exists!” Her demeanor was cheerful and personable, and she didn’t seem to take offense Amanda’s ignorance. Amanda smiled and nodded, her cheeks blushing a bit red, embarrassed.  
"I'm from India," Pratibha added. Koohara rubbed her head against Pratibha's, and she reached up and scratched her head.  
"I'm from France..." Natalie told them. She avoided their gazes.  
"I'm from Japan!" Akko grinned, standing tall. "And I'm Atsuko Kagari, or Akko for short!"  
"I'm Amanda, and I'm from America," Amanda told them. "Jasminka here is from Russia, and Constanze and her robot Erich are from Germany."  
"I'm from Sweden and my name is Lotte," Lotte smiled sweetly.  
"I'm Sucy, from the Philippines," Sucy said, her voice monotonous.  
"So, we're from all over the world, aren't we?" Pratibha noted. "Very interesting. Would you girls mind showing us around the school?"  
"Not at all," Lotte smiled, turning and heading out of the auditorium. Jasminka walked up to Pratibha and Nkiruka, handing them some candy.  
"Thank you Jas," Nkiruka thanked. "Hey, can I call you that?" Jasminka nodded, stuffing more of the candy in her mouth and following Lotte.  
Koohara jumped off of Pratibha's shoulder and ran up to Constanze. "Hm? What is it, Koo?" Pratibha asked her.  
Koohara mewed, and Erich jumped off of Constanze and approached Koohara curiously. Koohara sniffed Erich, then rubbed against him, purring. Erich let out a squeak but leaned into Koohara happily.  
"Looks like she likes your robot, Constanze," Pratibha noted. Constanze gave her a brisk nod, not being the one to talk much.  
Natalie dropped back behind Pratibha. "I-I'm surprised they let you bring a cat," she said silently, avoiding her gaze. Pratibha let out a boisterous laugh.  
"Koohara isn't just any old cat, she's my best friend!" Pratibha watched as Koohara walked ahead with Erich. "I've had her since she was a kitten, and I had a special connection with her. My magic allows that." She explained. Natalie nodded slowly, looking interested but still timid.  
"So, here are some of the classrooms," Akko pointed at the rooms as they walked by. One of the rooms had tubes in it, and Akko snickered. "Hey Sucy, remember in that classroom we tried to sneak a love potion into Professor Harlow's tea?"  
Sucy grinned, revealing sharp teeth. "Yes, too bad she caught us," she replied.  
In one of the rooms, Professor Ursula was talking to another professor. Her face was panicked and her hushed voice was frantic, although they were unable to make out any words. The nine girls stopped outside and gazed at them quizzically.  
"Yo, Professor Ursula, is something wrong?" Amanda queried. Professor Ursula looked at her worriedly but shook her head.  
"Oh, no, no girls, everything is fine!" Professor Ursula responded, although it was obvious she was lying. Sweat trickled down her face, and the other Professor had a grimace on her face. "Why don't you all go to your dorms?"  
"Okay then," Amanda shrugged and they girls kept walking. Akko put one hand on her hip, another on her chin and narrowed her eyes, deep in thought.  
"Professor Ursula looked really frightened," Akko observed. "But what could be the matter?"  
"She's usually full of anxiety like that as usual, if you haven't noticed," Amanda told her, cocking an eyebrow and grinning.   
"But that wasn't anxiety, that was fear," Lotte disagreed. She looked worried and unsure herself.  
"Are you saying something bad is happening?" Nkiruka asked, crossing her arms. Amanda answered her with a shrug.  
"Hm, maybe Diana knows?" Lotte replied.  
"Diana was the girl at the auditorium, right?" Pratibha asked. Akko nodded, looking irritated at the mention of her. Lotte giggled.  
"Diana and Akko have a bit of a grudge match they're trying to settle, their personalities really grind against each other." Lotte laughed. Akko rolled her eyes and sighed.  
"She's just so annoying and pretentious and-" Akko ranted, but just as she started insulting her behind her back, they turned the corner and Diana was right there, along with Hannah and Barbara.  
"You were saying?" Diana hissed. Akko shrank back behind Sucy. Diana furrowed her eyebrows. "My, you're pathetic," she growled. “Who taught you to talk bad about someone when they’re not around?” She looked closer at Pratibha, Nkiruka and Natalie, who stood behind. “Oh, don’t tell me you’re hanging out with some new girls. You’ll corrupt them.”  
“You’re hanging out with the troublemakers of the school!” Hannah chimed in.  
“They’re misfits, outcasts!” Barbara added, her face smug. Diana looked down at them.  
“I wouldn’t follow their paths,” Diana told them. Akko’s face turned red and she leapt forward to get Diana, but Lotte grabbed her shirt and yanked her back.  
“Akko!” She whined. Akko gritted her teeth and balled her fists. Diana and her gang watched her, their expressions arrogant.  
“Diana,” Amanda started. Diana directed her attention to Amanda. “Professor Ursula was talking to Professor Crewe and she seemed kind of… panicked, to say the least. Do you know what’s going on?”  
Diana pointed her nose up to make her look superior to them. “No, I do not,” she responded, “and if I’m not concerned, then you shouldn’t be either.” She then stepped back and curtsied. “Have a nice day,” she smiled, then walking past them. Hannah and Barbara laughed, mocking them. Akko grew even more furious.  
“Let me at her!” Akko shouted, but Lotte pulled her back some more.  
“Akko, please,” she begged. Akko didn’t listen, but instead started to pull so hard her clothes started to tear a bit.  
“Akko!” Amanda yelled. Akko stopped and relaxed, looking at her friend. Lotte let go and Akko blushed, holding her arm and looking away ashamed.  
“Sorry Amanda,” she apologized. Amanda grinned and tittered.  
“So, you’re troublemakers?” Pratibha asked. Akko’s anger quickly returned, her eyes a smoldering fire.   
“I have saved this school from a magic-eating dragon before, and I saved the town from a giant!” Akko protested. Sucy glared at her.  
“With our help,” she snarled. Akko crossed her arms and jutted her bottom lip out in a pout.  
“Well, I guess we should take you to your dorm now, like Professor Ursula said,” Lotte quickly changed the subject. The girls nodded and continued down the hallway toward the dorms.   
Although Diana had told them not to worry, she was not convinced. Ursula looked scared! That wasn’t just her everyday worry, she was frightened about something. Lotte felt herself grow queasy at the thought of it. Her mind started to race, and she couldn’t help but worry that something terrible was going to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been two days since the new girls arrived. They were still getting used to the school life, and the classes were just starting. The nine girls were getting to know each other more, and they clicked really well. They were quickly becoming a tight-knit group, although the new girls tended to stay out of trouble.  
"You girls really need to stop breaking the rules," Professor Ursula scolding, looking exhausted. She had dark bags under her eyes. "You can't keep getting in trouble..."  
"But you have to admit that was funny!" Akko shouted. "Especially when Heidi screamed when they black slug fell in her hair! The look on her face was priceless!" Akko doubled over in laughter, and Sucy smirked.  
"Akko..." Lotte's voice trailed off and she looked uncomfortable. She was never the one to cause trouble, but she was always dragged into it with Akko and Sucy.  
Ursula sighed heavily. "If you keep this up, you'll be kicked out of the school." She sat down in a chair, rubbing her temples. Lotte looked concerned.  
"Professor... Are you alright?" Lotte queried. Ursula looked up at her and nodded.  
"Yes, I'm fine, Lotte," she replied, but like it was a few days ago, she was obviously lying. She looked even more scared than she did before.  
"A-are you sure? Because-" Lotte started, but the intercom turned on and Ethelinda started to speak over it.  
"Attention all students and staff, please report to the auditorium for an important meeting." She called. Ursula jumped to her feet, seeming to know what was going on.  
"We'll talk about this later, girls," she said, opening the door and hurrying them out. The girls exchanged confused glances.  
"Professor?" Akko asked. Ursula looked over at her.  
"Principal Ethelinda will explain, but you need to get down there, it's urgent." She hurried them out the door and down the hallway. Ursula went around the other way as the three girls entered the auditorium.  
They stood near the top and looked around for their friends.  
In the middle, they saw Amanda waving her hand. Next to her she had her friends and the new girls. There were three empty seats next to them. Akko ran down the stairs and sat next to them. The two other girls joined them.  
"Do you usually have big meetings like this?" Nkiruka asked.  
"No, this is new," Akko responded. The new girls looked worried.  
The lights dimmed, except on the stage. Principal Ethelinda walked out onto the center of the stage, the other professors joining her. Ethelinda's expression was grim, her eyes dark. The room grew silent as their attention shifted toward her.  
"Ladies," she started, her voice bellowing. "Check the magic on your wands."  
The girls chattered confusedly and lit their wands. The magic was darker than usual.  
"The magic on your wands is dark, and the reason for that is someone is using the Sorcerer's Stone's power for evil." She explained. The girls gasped. "We do not know what their motive is, but we do know the affects could be devastating." She brought the other professors forward. "Instead of doing usual classes, the professors will teach you survival techniques and dangerous spells. You better be on your best behavior, otherwise you could get hurt." Her gaze glided over to the troublemakers, and they shifted uncomfortably in their seats. "Training begins now. You are dismissed."  
The girls got up and hurried out of the auditorium. Akko jumped to her feet, looking excited.  
"Yes! Now I can use my Shiny Chariot skills on them!" She shouted, bouncing up and down happily. Pratibha narrowed her eyes, Koohara perched on her shoulder.  
"Akko, I don't think some phony stage magician is gonna help..." Pratibha's voice trailed off and Akko whipped around, her expression furious.  
"Shiny Chariot if not a phony!" She growled. "She is my idol, and the best witch ever!" She put her hands on her hips defiantly. Her face was a deep red. "She is what helped she save this school and the town, she can help me save the country from an evil witch!"  
Pratibha sighed, looking upset. Natalie walked up to her, standing close, watching Akko intently with her uncovered eye.  
Sucy started to make her way out of the auditorium. "I'll go make some more potions now," she stayed. Nkiruka beamed and ran up to her.  
"You make potions? Me too!" She grinned. Sucy cracked a smile too. "What kind of potions do you make?"  
"Old Filipino potions," she responded. Her smirk grew big. "I'm a Mambabarang, as the Filipino call it. We're feared by society, we're thought to be the cause of diseases and misfortunes."  
Akko jutted her bottom lip out in a pout. "It's true, Sucy is the source of all evil in this world!" Akko replied angrily. Sucy looked over at her, but she didn't seem offended.  
"Mambabarang, eh? That's cool! I practice voodoo! It originated in Togo!" She told her happily. Sucy tilted her head, looking interested.  
"We should probably get going..." Lotte suggested. She started to head out of the auditorium, and her friends followed her. Natalie stayed close to Pratibha's side, seeming to take a shine to her.  
"Natalie," Pratibha turned her gaze to the frail girl. "You look frightened. Are you alright?"  
Natalie looked at her, taking the appearance of a deer in the headlights of the car. "I'm fine," she said.  
"I don't understand... Who could be terrorizing England with dark magic?" Akko asked, scratching her head. Amanda shrugged.  
"Some idiot, that's all I know," Amanda growled, looking angry. "Why would they be trying to fight a world power? And a someone? Does that mean they're alone? How stupid."  
"If they're enough to absorb the power from the Sorcerer's Stone, then they must be pretty strong." Lotte pointed out. "I'm just wondering, who on earth could it be?"  
* * *  
"Black Banshee!"  
A lady sat in a large, dusty chair in an abandoned castle. She dressed scandalously- a tight black corset that pushed her breasts up, a short black skirt and thigh high black boots. She had a black witch hat, jet black hair, and bright green eyes. She wore heavy mascara and eyeliner, and her lips were a deep red with lipstick. Her legs were neatly crossed, and she held a long black wand in her hand.  
"The name really fits me, doesn't it?" She mused, swinging the wand around. "I wonder if old Ethelinda remembers me under that name."  
A swarm of black fog taking the shape of monsters stood below her. They groaned, sounding like people who were dying agonizing deaths. Black Banshee grinned deviously.  
"I agree, Sangius," she said. "Her and her little school of witches are no match for us."  
Another figure moaned, and she shifted her green gaze it to it. "The British Army stands no chance against us either, Morsus," she responded to it. "Because we have the power of black magic on our side, that's why. We're unstoppable."  
Another figure let out a grunt and she scratched her chin with a long black fingernail. "Why yes, my dear Boare. We'll soon attack, although I want to play with them a bit. They must know by now that we're consuming their magic. We'll give them a few days to prepare, because it won't be fun if there isn't a fight, eh?" She chuckled. "Then, once they're ready, we'll attack, and we'll show no mercy. Each person must die a horrible, bloody death. No one will get out alive." She narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth. "Then, I'll get what's rightfully mine."  
She let out a loud, cackling laugh, holding her hands in the air and tilting her head back. The monsters reared onto their feet and screamed along with her, their cries echoing throughout the abandoned castle. Clouds covered the sky and thunder roared, as if they anticipated Black Banshee's violent scheme.


	4. Chapter 4

It was early morning. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon. Birds chirped in the distance. It seemed like a peaceful day, but it was far from that.  
The classes were starting extra early today, and the atmosphere was strained. All the girls were sent to different classes, where they would learn to use different forms of magic to fight. Amanda and her gang were in one classroom, while Akko, Pratibha and their girls were in another.  
The classroom Akko was in were learning about different spells that inflict damage on others. The teachers weren't used to teaching things like this, except when it came to monsters, and it definitely made them uncomfortable. But they pushed through it anyway, knowing it benefited humanity.  
Akko was close to falling asleep again. Her eyelids drooping, her body swaying, drool seeping from her mouth as her head got closer and closer to the desk. Lotte watched her anxiously.  
"Akko," she whispered, putting her hand on Akko's shoulder and giving her a little shake. "Akko, wake up!"  
Akko, however, was a heavy sleeper, and her head bobbed up and down as she subconsciously struggled to keep her body upright.   
The teacher noticed, sighed, and sent a small sprite over to Akko. The sprite grabbed her hair and yanked it, pulling Akko's face down onto the table. She let out a wail, lifting her head, her nose bruised.   
"Ow," she whimpered, rubbing her nose.  
"Would you like one of my potions?" Sucy asked. Akko shot her a dirty look.  
"No thank you!" She spat.  
Nkiruka tapped her shoulder from behind, and Akko looked over at her. "Would you like one of my potions?" She asked. "Come to my room afterwards, I'll make you a potion out of cow teeth."   
Akko twisted her face in disgust. "Cow teeth? Eww!" She groaned.  
"Girls, quiet up there," the teacher ordered. "This is important."  
"Y-yes, sorry professor," Lotte apologized, returning her attention to the professor.  
"This first spell is called Libbu išātu, or 'heart fire' in Akkadian. It's does not set your heart on fire, but it makes you feel like it is. This will definitely slow down your opponent." She explained. The girls listened intently, knowing these spells could save their lives.  
After they went over a few spells, they were let out for lunch. Akko rubbed her bruised nose, moaning. Nkiruka dropped in beside her.  
"You sure you don't want one of my potions?" Nkiruka asked her, looking concerned. Akko shot her a wild look.  
"No thanks!" She responded bitterly. Lotte rested a hand on her shoulder.  
"Akko, just try it," Lotte coaxed, and Akko sighed, relaxing her body.   
"Fine," Akko growled. Nkiruka dipped her head and took off the other direction toward her dorm. Lotte and Akko stood at the side. Akko had a serious look on her face.  
"So... Today, right?" Lotte chuckled, looking nervous. Akko rubber her mode and looked at her, tiredness in her eyes. Lotte tensed up. "Are you nervous about this all?"  
Akko crossed her arms angrily, puffing up her lips. "Of course not! I'll take this stupid witch by myself if I have to!" She protested. Lotte sweated anxiously.  
"B-but Akko, if this witch is this strong..." Lotte pointed out. Before Akko could reply, Nkiruka ran out with a bottle. She stopped, opened it up and took a brush out of her pocket. She dipped the brush in the bottle. When she pulled it out, it had ashes on it. Akko stuck her tongue out, but Nkiruka painted the ashes onto her nose. Akko sneezed, but her nose felt better.  
"Hm... Thanks." Akko thanked. Nkiruka smiled and stuffed the bottle and brush in her pockets.  
"Let's go meet the other girls. We should practice some magic." Nkiruka suggested in her French accent.   
"Yeah! Let's go!" Akko shouted, racing down the hallway. The other two girls followed her.  
They reached a large, empty room. The other six girls stood there, watching Akko, Lotte and Nkiruka run in. Amanda was standing in front, her hand resting on her hip. She looked motivated and cheerful.  
"Well, girls, you ready to practice?" She asked. She whipped out her wand, spun it around in her hands, then case some magic on an old dummy sitting in the room. The arm fell off and it smoked. Amanda blew the flaming tip of her magic off, then crossed her arms in triumph.  
"Are you sure we're allowed to be using those?" Pratibha asked. Koohara was sitting next to her, licking her paw, looking unamused. Akko grew excited.  
"Yeah! Let's go this and brings this stupid witch to the ground!" Akko exclaimed, spinning around and summoning magic. Some of it spurted out of her wand and hit a window nearby, shattering it. Akko froze, and the others stared with wide eyes.  
"Wow, Akko, that is sure to cause some damage!" Amanda yelled, elbowing Akko in the ribs. "Well, if you can get it to go in the right direction, that is."  
"Um, Akko, what are they gonna do once they see?" Pratibha asked. Akko shrugged and turned around to face everyone.  
"We should have, like, a super awesome technique that we use to defeat them!" Akko said, throwing up her arm. "Like, we can choreograph it, Sucy can throw a potion at them, Constanze can use her technological things on them, Natalie can do whatever she does-"  
Natalie cringed in fear at what Akko said. They noticed this and Akko grew uncomfortable. Pratibha looked at Natalie with sympathy in her eyes. She didn't understand why Natalie was upset, but she felt bad for her. She just figured Natalie was insecure and wasn't confident in her skills.  
Akko quickly tried to correct herself. "Well, Pratibha and Koohara can attack, and Jasminka can throw food at them or whatever she wants, Amanda can dance and use magic that way..." She listed off the skills for each one she knew. They all looked excited, and Sucy pulled a potion out of her outfit.  
"I'll use this," she said, a sadistic grin stretching across her face. She opened it up a bit, and some purple gas leaked out. They gasped when they realized was it was, and she quickly closed it.  
Akko coughed, swatting the air with her hand. "You're telling me you're going to use poisonous gas on them?" She hissed. She then relaxed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I guess it'll work..."  
Lotte looked extremely unnerved. "Do you really want to kill them?" She asked, twiddling her thumbs. "I mean, this is a real person we're dealing with. Not a dragon or a giant. A human being. Do you really want to take a person's life?" She questioned. They gazed at her sadly.  
"Well, when you put it that way, no," Akko replied.  
"I don't think I could live with myself if I killed someone, even if they were bad," Pratibha admitted. Koohara nodded, holding her tail low in agreement. Akko thought for a moment. Suddenly her face lit up with excitement.  
"I can use a non-lethal Shiny Chariot spell on them!" She yelled. "Yeah! That way the bad guy will be hurt enough to stop but not enough to be killed!" She jumped around the room, excited.   
"Shiny Chariot?" Pratibha asked. "I've heard of her."  
"Of how amazing she is?!" Akko shouted, jumping up in her face. Pratibha stepped back, uncomfortable.   
"I heard she's a fraud," Pratibha admitted. Akko stepped back angrily.  
"No, she's the best!" Akko protested bitterly. She clasped her hands together, her eyes shining with admiration. "She is the best witch ever! She's talented, she's hot, and just all around amazing!" She cooed. Pratibha shrugged.  
"If you say so," she replied, not wanting to argue. Koohara mowed in amusement.  
Amanda walked up to Akko and placed a hand on her hip. "I know you like Shiny Chariot, but let's focus on the task at hand." She said. Akko nodded, and Amanda lit up her wand. "This is non-lethal magic. Let's shoot at each other and try to dodge or deflect it. That way we'll be training for what's coming."  
Suddenly, she shot the magic at Sucy. The sickly looking girl dodged it and quickly shot a burst back. Amanda ducked and it hit the wall behind her. "Wow! You have reflexes like a cat, Sucy!" Amanda complimented. Koohara shook her head and meowed in disagreement. Pratibha giggled.  
Amanda then shot one at Lotte. Lotte waved her wand and shot one back, her magic hitting Amanda's. They struggled for a bit, trying to push their magic farther away from them. The opposing forces were too much and the magic exploded and disappeared.  
They all stared at each other and got in battle stances. Constanze shot some magic at Akko and it hit her belly.  
"Oww!" Akko groaned, bending over and holding her stomach. Constanze stared at her.  
"Akko! Focus!" Amanda ordered, shooting some magic at her. Akko jumped out of the way and hit Natalie. Natalie stumbled and stepped on Koohara's tail. The cat let out a screech and took off running, hissing and spitting. The two girls fell on the ground, Akko on top of Natalie. Amanda palmed her face. "We're gonna need a lot of practice..."  
She walked into the middle and counted how many there were. There was ten altogether, including Koohara. She didn't want to split up her and her owner so she counted them as one, so there was nine. "Okay, I will split us up into teams. Most will be teams of two but there will be one team of three." She scanned her eyes over them, thinking of the best fits. "So, it'll be Pratibha and Natalie, Sucy and Nkiruka, Costanze, Lotte and Jasminka, then Akko and I."  
Sucy snickered and elbowed Nkiruka in the ribs. "The two love birds are together." She laughed. Amanda blushed and glared at her.  
"Sucy, for that stupid comment I'm taking two points off of you." She snarled. Sucy's eyes grew wide, one being covered by her hair.  
"You didn't tell us there were points involved," Sucy replied, annoyed.  
"Two more points off of you for saying that, so now you're at negative four," Amanda retorted. Sucy tilted her heat back and groaned, and Nkiruka had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.   
They got into their groups. Amanda explained they would be practicing magic battles with each other. Constanze, Lotte and Jasminka would all be fighting against each other. They used illusion magic, of course.  
Sucy walked up to Nkiruka and whispered into her ear: "It's a known fact Akko and Amanda love each other throughout the school, but they hate to admit it to others."  
Amanda heard her and whipped around, balling her fists. "Sucy! That's two more points-"  
Nkiruka threw her hands up. "No, Amanda, it's okay!" She interrupted. "I really don't care. If you love each other, that's cool with me. You two are very cute together!"  
Amanda and Akko turned a deep red and looked at each other, a mixture of shock and relief in their eyes. They looked over at Pratibha, Natalie, and Koohara, who nodded in support as well. They grinned and Akko quickly kissed Amanda on the cheek. Amanda laughed, picked her up by the waist, and spun her around before kissing Akko's nose. The others grinned.  
"Aww," Pratibha smiled. Natalie broke a smile too, and Nkiruka clapped her hands in support.  
Amanda then set Akko down and turned to Sucy. "I'm taking those four points away. You're now at zero just like everyone else." Sucy smirked and Amanda started again. "You all ready?" She asked.  
"Yes!" The others shouted in unison. Koohara padded to the side and say down, watching intensively. Erich joined her, beeping. Then they all faced each other and lit up their wands, ready to fight.   
"Go!" Amanda shouted. They all let out battle cries and charged at each other.  
Sucy took out a potion and threw it at Nkiruka. She dodged it, coughing a bit as it hit the ground, then spun around and shot some magic at her out of her wand. Sucy shot two rounds of magic at Nkiruka. One hit her magic and exploded, and the other hit Nkiruka in the arm. Nkiruka wailed and gritted her teeth, shooting another burst of magic. Sucy disappeared and Nkiruka looked around frantically for her, and then felt a heat behind her. She ducked and a wave of magic flew over her head. She whipped around to see Sucy, her was staring at her with a sadistic look in her eyes.  
Amanda and Akko fought each other. Amanda shot some magic at her, and Akko screamed and ran away, missing them. Then she sent some magic in Amanda's direction, grinning as it went where she wanted it to go. Amanda moved to the side, but it grazed her shoulder.  
"Ouch!" Amanda wailed.  
"I'm sorry baby!" Akko frowned. Amanda then smirked and shot some magic at Akko, and it hit her in the face. Akko screamed, wiped her face, then laughed.  
Lotte sent some magic hurling at Jasminka. It hit her belly and bounced off, flying and hitting Lotte in the face. Her glasses flew off, and this was Constanze's chance to strike. A burst of magic hit Lotte's side. She groaned and fumbled got her glasses, before finally finding them and shooting back at Constanze. It hit Constanze's chest and she jumped back, puffing up her cheeks. Jasminka giggled, stuffed some candy in her mouth, and leaned on one foot, shooting magic at Constanze. The short girl jumped out of the way, shooting magic at Lotte, who deflecting it with her own magic.  
Natalie stood off to the side awkwardly, looking extremely uncomfortable. Pratibha rested a hand on her hip and stared at her.  
"You're not much of a talker, are you?" Pratibha asked. Natalie shook her head, and Pratibha sighed. "Is something the matter?"  
Natalie shrank back, looking away. "No..." She then muttered something under her breath. Pratibha edged closer.  
"What did you say?" She asked, and Natalie's eyes grew wide.   
"O-oh, nothing." She responded. Pratibha didn't press the issue any farther, and instead raised her wand.  
"You ready?" She asked. Natalie nodded and Pratibha shot magic at her. Natalie jumped out of the way, skidding, then shot magic at the Indian girl. Pratibha dodged the first one but the second one hit her chest. She gasped and threw her hands over it.  
"Oh! I am so sorry!" Natalie frowned, raising her voice. Pratibha responded by laughing and shaking her head.  
"No worries. You've got good aim. You'll be able to take on whatever comes at us. I know you will."  
Natalie cracked a nervous smile. "I hope so," she replied.  
The girls continued to practice fighting with their magic until it was time for their next classes. Then they headed off, wishing each other a good day. Amanda and Akko left holding hands. They were certain they could take on whatever was threatening Europe. But could they?


	5. Chapter 5

The sky was dark, clouds covering the sky. The people went along their daily business, regarding the clouds as just a regular rainstorm. They had no idea what was coming.

Black Banshee grabbed her broom, placing it between her legs. Her monsters called to her, and she looked at them, tipping her hat at them. "Thank you, boys," she replied, winking. "This will make us so strong that Ethelinda's whole school will not be able to take us." With that, she took off out of the castle, her monsters following her.

She soared in the sky as it started to rain. She held a hand out, the water coating her skin. She tilted her hat down to keep the rain from smearing her makeup. 

Black Banshee held up her wand. It had a black mist around it, and she snickered. Up ahead she could see the town, and she smirked. Her monsters followed her on the ground, ducking behind trees and rocks to keep from being hidden from others. 

She reached the town. She landed on the ground, grabbing her broom in her hands. Her black magic monsters slid against the buildings, following her as she headed toward a coffee shop, staying hidden in the shadows.

The coffee shop was outside. She took a seat, leaning back in her chair. Black Banshee took a deep breath, her chest heaving. She closed her eyes, waiting for someone to approach her. With the way she was dressed, it was certain someone would.

She heard footsteps coming closer to her. She opened her eyes to see a tall man. He smiled down at her, and she smirked.

"Hello," he greeted, giving a wave of his hand. She stayed leaned back, and she saw his eyes weren't focused on her face. "Man, you sure are a sexy witch. What are you dressed up for?"

She chuckled. "I'm a witch, of course. What other reason would I have to dress up as one?" She laughed. He laughed too, taking a seat in front of her.

"Well, what can I call you?" He asked, his eyes still straying from her face. 

"Black Banshee," she replied, giving him a wink with her heavily made up eye. He shifted in his seat, seeming excited.

"How mysterious," he said, smiling. "Well, Ms. Banshee, may I buy you a drink, and then we can head to my place?" He leaned closer, making it obvious he was undressing her with his eyes. She snickered. 

"That sounds great," she responded. He nodded, getting up and heading toward the shop. She could hear growling behind her, and she held up her hand. "Hold on, I want this free coffee."

The man came back, holding two coffees. He handed one to her, then sat down and sipped his. She sat up, leaning forward and placing her hands under her chin. He stared down at her cleavage, a grin on his face.

"Thank you for this coffee." She flashed him a toothy grin. 

"Of course," he responded, smiling. "If you don't mind, there's something I want to show you."

The man leaned forward. "Oh? What is it?" He asked. Black Banshee smirked and snapped her fingers. 

One of the figures slithered out from behind the building, making a noise similar to a death rattle. He soared above the man, letting out a hiss, and the man's eyes grew wide with fear. He opened his mouth to let out a shriek of terror, but the figure consumed him, his body disappearing inside the figure's body.

The figure rested back on his heels, rubbing his belly with his hand. Black Banshee laughed, watching the monster grow bigger.

"Perfect! Let's get more people." She snickered. The figure ducked back behind the building and Black Banshee looked around. Somehow, no one had seen, which was perfect for her. 

She walked inside the closest building, a cafe. She walked around inside and saw many people sitting and eating. It was so calm and peaceful. The perfect atmosphere for her to break.

"Greetings ladies and gentlemen!" Black Banshee shouted. The people turned and stared at her, curious looks on their faces. "It is I, Black Banshee, the greatest witch of them all!" She narrowed her emerald green eyes. "Prepare to witness the most fantastical thing in your life! A little trick I like to call 'Meet Your Fate!'"

The door swung open and the black beasts swarmed in. People jumped out of their seats and screamed, but the monsters were too fast and attached the people. They choked the people down like snakes, their figures growing larger with each person they ingested. Black Banshee laughed, taking pleasure in their suffering.

Soon enough, the entire cafe had been swallowed by the monsters. Black Banshee snapped her fingers and they huddled around her, watching intently. They didn't have eyes, but instead holes where they should be. Black Banshee walked around, picking up the wallets left behind by the costumers.

"You know they only have a week until they disappear completely," Black Banshee said. She picked up things she wanted. "Until then, the person inside of you is being digested. If you lose them, however, they will appear without a scratch. Once it hits the week mark, they'll be gone and there's no way you'll be able to lose them." She smirked. "In the mean time, you will feed off their strength." 

She left out a malicious laugh, throwing her head back and arms in the air. Her monsters reared on their back legs and roared, screaming their horrible screams.

***

"They're getting stronger."

Ethelinda stared at the Sorcerer's Stone. It's shade was even darker now, approaching a navy blue. Ursula wrung her hands together nervously. 

"A-are they gonna come here?" Ursula asked nervously. Ethelinda dipped her head, a solemn look on her face.

"Yes. Are the students ready?" Ethelinda asked. Ursula thought for a moment.

"I think..." She replied. Ethelinda whipped around.

"You think? Ursula, the sake of the country is in these girls. They have to be ready." Ethelinda told her coldly. Ursula took a step back, shaking.

"I-I mean, yes! They are." She regained her straight posture. "They have been learning many different fighting techniques. I'm sure they are confident in their skills and are ready to take on this threat." Ursula got the words out, hiding her fear. Ethelinda sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Good. I'm afraid they're just at the town. They'll be here shortly." Ethelinda informed. She looked over out the window. "Gather them together. Make sure they're ready. Send them to the dungeon, and make them battle monsters to train." She stood up, her eyes dark. Ursula could've sworn she saw the slightest spark of fear in them. "We cannot lose.'


	6. Chapter 6

The students stood in front of the doors to the dungeons. The teachers stood in front of the students, a large board placed beside them. The board showed multiple monsters.  
"There are monsters dwelling below this school," Ursula explained. "It is up to you to fight and kill as many of them as you can." She pointed at the other teachers. "We will be monitoring you in case you need any help and to make sure no one gets hurt. However, please give it your all." She dipped her head and stepped aside, using her magic to open up the large doors that had been repaired since the dragon. The students ushered in, and the professors entered as well, closing the doors behind them.  
The dungeons were huge and went on for miles underneath the school and the surrounding forest. They had multiple stories as well, and the deeper they got, the bigger and more dangerous the monsters. The nine girls decided it would be best to stick together.  
Lotte used the little spirit in her skull lamp to light up the way as they headed down the stairs. Akko chatted excitedly with Amanda, who was laughing. The others talked as well, but Natalie stayed behind, shaking. Pratibha noticed this and dropped back to join her.  
"What's wrong, Natalie?" Pratibha asked. Natalie looked up at her.   
"N-nothing," she stammered. Pratibha furrowed her eyebrows.  
"No, something's wrong," Pratibha replied. She leaned closer. "Please tell me."  
"It's nothing!" Natalie responded seemingly panicky, racing forward to join the other girls. Pratibha sighed and went to join them as well. She didn't know why Natalie was always so full of anxiety, but it pained her heart to see such a kind girl be so scared all the time.   
"I'm ready to kick some monster butt," Amanda chuckled, swinging her wand around.   
"I brought the shiny rod with me," Akko said, holding out out. The rod glistened, and she hugged it close to her chest. "I know with Shiny Chariot by my side, I cannot fail!"  
Amanda chuckled and looked at her. "Once again with the Shiny Chariot," she mocked, then whispered something under her breath. Akko stared at her.  
"What was that?" Akko asked. Amanda furrowed her eyebrows.  
"What? Nothing." Amanda lied. Akko leaned into her.  
"Liar! What was that you said?" Akko questioned. Amanda jutted her bottom lip out.  
"Nothing!" She lied. Akko grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.  
"Tell me!" Akko growled. Amanda looked down at her and then sighed.  
"Fine. I said 'cutie'". Amanda responded. Akko giggled and hugged her tightly.  
"I knew you did!" Akko laughed. Amanda made a pouting face and looked away.  
"So Sucy, you should teach me one of your potions sometime. What do you work with?" Nkiruka asked Sucy. Sucy reached in her pocket and pulled out a long bottle full of a purple liquid.  
"I work with mushrooms, mainly," Sucy responded. She opened up the bottle and a purple mist wafted out, taking the shape of a skull. She grinned sadistically then put the lid back on. Nkiruka watched in awe, and Sucy chuckled. "You work with animal bones, right?"  
"I do," Nkiruka grinned, grabbing a bottle she had. She opened it up and handed it to Sucy. The Filipino girl grabbed it and looked in it.  
"How interesting," she cooed. "What's it made of?"  
"This specific one is made of water buffalo horns," Nkiruka responded. Sucy nodded and closed it, handing it back to Nkiruka. A small smile played on her face.  
Lotte and Jasminka walked next to each other. Lotte eyed Jasminka as the girl stuffed her face full of cookies. Jasminka squeaked happily as she did so, her hand slipping in and out of the bag.  
"Jasna... Don't you think it's not the best time to eat?" Lotte asked. Jasminka looked at her, chewing, her lips covered in crumbs. She grabbed a cookie and handed it to Lotte.  
"Want one?" She asked. Lotte sighed and took it, sticking it in her mouth.  
Constanze tapped Jasminka's shoulder. Jasminka looked over at Constanze, who held her hand out. Jasminka giggled and placed a cookie in Constanze's hand, who then ate it.  
Lotte's little spirit bounced up ahead with Erich and Koohara following close behind. Koohara meowed at Erich, who beeped back at her. Pratibha exchanged a glance with Constanze and chuckled.  
The ground evened out and the stairs came to an end. The spirit looked back at Lotte, who looked around. The dungeon split into three hallways. Lotte looked at the other girls.  
"Forward!" Akko shouted, running down the hallway that led forward. The others followed her, their heels clicking against the hard rock floor. Lotte's little spirit bounced along, trying its hardest to keep up with the running girls. Akko was running headfirst into the darkness.  
As they progressed into the darkness, Pratibha stopped and listened. She could hear something... Something that wasn't the clacking of their heels. It sounded like stomping, and something heavily breathing. She froze, lighting her wand and turning around. What she saw terrified her.  
Natalie stopped running as well, turning and looking behind. Back in the hallway, she could see Pratibha standing, her wand lit, and something behind her. Natalie squinted to get a better look, then her eyes grew wide.  
"S-spri..." Natalie stuttered. The other girls stopped, and Akko turned around, a bit farther ahead.  
"What is it, Natalie?" Akko asked.  
"S-s-spriggan!" Natalie wailed. Akko and Amanda exchanged glances.  
"What's a s-s-spriggan?" Akko asked her girlfriend. Amanda shrugged.  
The spriggan let out a roar, soaring more than three feet over Pratibha. She let out a wail and stepped back. The spriggan got closer, and she used her magic to strike it. It hit its face, and it stepped back, screeching.  
"We gotta go help, come on!" Nkiruka yelled, running up to Pratibha and using her magic to hit it again. The spriggan dodged it and swiped at her, but she grabbed Pratibha and jumped out of the way.  
"It's too crowded in this hallway!" Nkiruka shouted. Amanda nodded and took off down the hallway. The rest of the girls followed. Koohara waited for Pratibha, and when Pratibha reached her, she started to follow the humans. The spriggan hissed and took off after them.  
Amanda was ahead, looking desperately. The hallway seemed to stretch on for miles. She looked behind them as they ran, and saw the spriggan was right on their heels. Amanda turned her head back to face forward, and she could see a lighting up ahead.  
"This way!" Amanda ordered. She took a sharp left, and the others quickly followed, sliding a bit. They found themselves in a large square room- much bigger than the hallway was. It was perfect for all of them to fight the spriggan in.   
They whipped around, facing the monster as it entered the room. It growled at them, curling its wooden fingers to form a fist. The girls stood their ground, holding their wands.  
Akko let out a shout and thrust her wand forward, a small spurt of magic springing from it and hitting the spriggan in the face. The spriggan shook its head and glared at her, and Akko stepped back.  
"W-what?!" Akko asked. Amanda sighed and jumped forward, swinging her wand around and hitting the spriggan with some magic. It hit the spriggan's arm and splintered some of the wood. The spriggan screamed and jumped back.  
Constanze took her magic gun out and started to shoot magic at the spriggan. The spriggan shield its face with its arms, but as the magic hit it, it splintered its arms. Constanze gave a little nod oh her head, satisfied with the damage she had done.  
The spriggan leapt at Akko, slashing at her with its sharp branch fingers. Akko jumped back, skidding on the ground, and running to the side. It chased her, hissing and growling, and Lotte ran up behind it and struck it hard in the back with her magic. It left a scorch mark on its back and it wailed, turning and facing her angrily.  
Lotte hurled two more shots at it, one hitting its chest and the other hitting its left shoulder. Its left arm snapped and broke off, hitting the ground. The spriggan's eyes glistened in anguish as it stared at its disconnected arm.  
Sucy and Jasminka stood side by side as they shot more magic at it, striking its other shoulder. Its right arm fell off as well, and if shrieked a high pitched shriek.   
"Now's our chance!" Amanda shouted. All the girls got together and lit up their wands, sending a large ball of magic at the spriggan. Its face twisted in horror as it faced its demise, and the magic hit it, making it explode. Shards of wood sprayed everywhere, and the girls covered their eyes.  
The spriggan's destroyed body laid on the stony ground, lifeless. The girls breathed heavily, and Amanda wiped her hands together. "That was easy enough," she grinned. The other girls laughed.  
That moment, they heard clicking. Expecting another monster, they whipped around, but to their relief, it was only Diana, Hanna and Barbara. Akko groaned, and Diana shot her a dirty look.  
"What did you just kill?" Diana asked.  
"A spriggan," Natalie murmured. Diana cocked an eyebrow.  
"A spriggan, hm? Usually peaceful creatures, what did you do to upset it?" Diana queried, looking down at them. Pratibha shrugged her shoulders, knowing that it attacked them first.  
"It took you all that magic to fight a spriggan?" Hanna taunted, snickering.   
"We just killed a orthrus, which is much stronger than a spriggan!" Barbara chimed in. Akko grimaced and stomped forward.  
"This was a tough spriggan!" Akko objected. Sucy looked over at her, the same emotionless expression on her face.  
"You didn't even know what a spriggan was," Sucy replied. Akko whipped around and glared at her, hissing her name.   
Diana crossed her arms, cocking an eyebrow. "Well, good thing none of you are hurt. If you needed help, you could've just called us." Diana told them. Akko stomped up to her and got in her face.  
"Excuse me?!" Akko snapped. "We don't need your help!"   
Diana opened her mouth to reply, but a group of other girls came stumbling into the room, breathing heavily. They laughed alongside each other, but in their eyes was fear. They looked over at Diana and waved their hands.  
"Diana! Thank goodness you're here!" One of the girls squeaked. Diana dipped her head.  
"Of course," she responded, looking over at them respectfully. The girls sighed, then their heads shot behind them, where large stomping could be heard coming from down a hallway.  
"Now what?" Amanda growled.   
That moment, a large Sphinx came out of the hallway. It grinned a devilish grin. Akko let out a scream and hugged Amanda tightly. She had never seen something more terrifying in her life!   
The Sphinx opened her mouth and bared her sharp teeth, rearing back on her back legs. Her face was human, but something about her eyes seemed so animalistic. She let out a loud roar, sounding like a woman screaming. The new girls huddled up against Diana.  
"We can't fight her on our own!" One of the girls squealed.  
Diana pulled out her wand and lit it. Hanna and Barbara shrieked and hid behind her. "I've got this," Diana said, seemingly fearless.  
"You got us too, Diana!" Amanda responded. Diana looked at her and narrowed her eyes.  
"I got this on my own, we can't risk you messing this up," Diana told her. Amanda grimaced angrily, but pulled her wand out as well.  
The Sphinx ran at them, swiping at Diana. Diana jumped out of the way, and the girls near her scattered. Diana frowned, furrowing her eyebrows, and shot some magic at the Sphinx. The Sphinx dodged it and yelled again, making a mocking face at Diana. Diana grimaced.  
Amanda shot some magic at the Sphinx. It hit her, but it seemed to do no damage. The Sphinx just shook her head and laughed, then ran at them.  
Diana pushed everyone behind her and made a large shield. The Sphinx stopped, staring at them, then paced back and forth, huffing. Pratibha snuck up to Diana, Koohara perched on her shoulder.  
"What do we do?!" Pratibha worried. Diana thought hard, but this Sphinx was too strong for them to fight off.  
"I'll think of something," Diana said. Akko waved her arms in the air.  
"We don't have time!" Akko wailed.  
Diana glared at her. Her magic was growing weaker as she grew tired. The shield was wavering, and the Sphinx just grinned at them as she realized she would soon have her next dinner.  
Suddenly, Diana's shield disappeared. The girls watched in horror as the Sphinx unsheathed her claws and walked forward, licking her lips. Her eyes were wild, and saliva dripped from her mouth.   
That moment, a dark shadow hit the Sphinx. It hit her in the face, and she stepped back, letting out a cry. More small shadows hit the Sphinx, and she jumped back, swatting at them and moaning. The girls whipped around to see where the shadows were coming from, and their eyes landed on Natalie.  
Natalie was floating above the ground, a wild fire in her eyes. They were two different colors. Her hair was flaring, and it flamed at the tips. She shouted something in a language they didn't understand, and suddenly, she thrust her arms forward. More shadows flew from her hands and at the Sphinx. They attacked the Sphinx, and it screamed in pain. Diana watched with her eyes wide.  
"She can control demons?!" Diana shrieked. Hanna and Barbara exchanged horrified glances.  
The demons continued to attack the Sphinx, tearing at her skin. She batted at them, but they leapt out of the way. The Sphinx roared and bled, until eventually, she collapsed on the ground. Her breathing slowed and eventually she passed. The black shadows drifted back to Natalie then disappeared. Natalie landed on the ground, staring at her hands.  
Diana walked up to Natalie. "Y-you..." Her voice wavered. Natalie shrunk back, fear in her eyes. Diana's lip quivered. "Y-you can control demons."  
"They'll kill us!" One of the girls who came in earlier wailed. They held onto each other, turning and racing out of the room, screaming.   
Natalie trembled. "I-I saved them... And yet they're scared?" Natalie's voice shook. Pratibha stared at her, taking a step forward.  
"Natalie..." Her voice trailed off, and she reached out to the trembling girl.  
Diana took a deep breath. "Let's get heading back," she ordered. She, Hanna and Barbara started to walk to where the stairs were. Hanna and Barbara shot Natalie horrified looks. Natalie ignored their gazes.  
Pratibha walked up to her, placing a hand on Natalie's shoulder. Natalie stepped back and ripped herself away, looking up at Pratibha with tears streaming down her face. Pratibha gasped, and Natalie took off running.  
"Natalie!" Pratibha shouted, running after her. However, Natalie was too fast, and disappeared into the darkness. Pratibha stopped and sighed.  
"Woah! That was so cool!" Akko shouted, jumping up and down excitedly. "So that's what demons look like, huh?"  
"Looks like it wasn't cool to her," Amanda frowned. Lotte stepped forward next to Pratibha, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
"It really upset her that the other girls were scared..." Pratibha frowned, dipping her head. Lotte sighed.  
"Come on, let's get going," Lotte said, walking forward toward the stairs. The other girls followed her, but Pratibha stood behind. She felt so bad for Natalie. She had an amazing gift, but the others couldn't see it, and instead were terrified.  
Nkiruka noticed her and stopped, looking back at her. "You coming?" She asked. Pratibha sighed and nodded, following her out of the dungeons


	7. Chapter 7

The sun slid above the horizon. It was a warm day already, and the students were starting to stir. Akko was up before the others, pacing the room. Lotte and Akko watched her.  
"Did you hear what we're doing today?" Lotte asked Sucy, brushing her hair. Sucy was sitting with her legs pulled up to her chest.  
"We're battling the other students," Sucy responded. A sadistic grin crossed her face. "This should be fun."  
"Are we going on brooms?" Akko asked, looking anxious.  
"I'd assume so," Lotte replied. Akko groaned and covered her face, and Sucy chuckled.  
"Maybe your little girlfriend will let you ride with her," Sucy pointed out. Akko glared at her and crossed her arms, her face turning red, half out of anger and half out of embarrassment.   
There was a knock on the door. Akko threw it open and there was Amanda, Jasminka and Constanze. Akko's eyes lit up, and Sucy let out a huff.  
"We were just talking about you, Amanda," Sucy said. Amanda wrapped her arms around Akko and pulled her close.  
"I hope only good things," Amanda replied. Sucy just chuckled. Amanda looked down at her girlfriend. "So, are you ready to fight the other students today?"  
Akko looked up at her. "Um, can I ride with you? Because..." Her voice trailed off, and Amanda laughed.  
"Sure, Akko." Amanda responded. Lotte walked up to them.  
"Where are the other girls?" Lotte asked. Constanze pointed down the hallway as the three new girls approached them.  
"Good morning," Pratibha greeted. Akko grinned and waved her hand.   
"Hi! Are you girls ready for today?" Akko asked. Pratibha shrugged her shoulders.  
"Yeah, sure, but I am worried about hurting the other girls," she responded. Sucy walked up to her, laughing.  
"It's not like it's lethal magic we're using," Sucy pointed out, chuckling. "It'll just sting... A lot."  
Pratibha shuddered, and Akko glared at Sucy. "You are the very definition of evil, Sucy!" Akko hissed. Sucy just laughed mischievously and slinked over to Nkiruka.  
Lotte looked at the time on her laptop. "We'd better get going," Lotte said, grabbing her broom and heading out of the dorm. The other girls followed her.  
As they walked, other girls were exiting their dorms as well. However, their eyes were fixed on their group, and hushed whispers were exchanged between them. Akko stared at them, certain they were talking about her, but their eyes never met hers. Instead, they were fixed on one other girl.  
Natalie.  
The short French girl trailed close behind Pratibha, avoiding the other girls' gazes. She could feel them burning into her, and she knew the exact reason they were watching her with scared eyes.   
Pratibha looked at her with a concerned expression on her face, although she herself wasn't scared of Natalie. She felt sorry for her.  
Akko leaned closer to Amanda, standing on her tiptoes so she reached Amanda's ear. "Hey... Why is everyone so scared of Natalie?" Akko whispered. Amanda looked at the other girls, who quickly moved away as Natalie made her way down the hallway.  
"Maybe it's what happened yesterday," Amanda noted. Her voice grew even quieter. "Yunno... With the demons and all."  
Akko nodded slowly. She looked back at Natalie, who was staring at her feet. Her heart hurt for Natalie. From what she knew about the girl, she was very kind. Really quiet, but it didn't come as a surprise now that Akko knew her power.  
They reached the courtyard outside. All the students in the school gathered outside. Professor Nelson stood with her bottom, a stern expression on her face.  
"Today we will be flying and fighting," Professor Nelson said. "I will choose two of you to fight. I will admit, it will hurt, but the magic we're using for today will have no lasting effect. This will not be the case when the threat arrives." She dipped her head. "Okay. First up, Diana Cavendish and Cynthia Snyder."  
Diana grabbed her broom and placed it between her legs. Saying the words in order to fly, she started to hover above the ground. Cynthia was a pale brown haired girl. She seemed a bit intimidated by Diana. She also said the words to fly and started to hover.  
"Let's see what you all are made of! Girls, fight!" Professor Nelson shouted. The two girls took off into the air, the rest of the girls watching.  
Cynthia shot some magic at Diana, who dodged it and threw some magic back. Cynthia flew out of the way and shot two more bouts of magic at Diana. Diana dodged them both and flew at Cynthia.  
"Look at her go!" Hanna grinned, clasping her hands together.  
"She's so good!" Barbara chimed in.  
"She's not that good," Akko growled, crossing her arms.   
Cynthia shot some more magic at Diana, and since she was within close range, Diana quickly opened up a deflector shield. The students gasped at her quick reaction, and the magic hit the shield and flew back at Cynthia.  
The magic hit Cynthia hard in the arm. She let out a scream and grabbed her arm, moaning in pain. Diana let down the shield and shot another burst of light at Cynthia, hitting her square in the chest. Cynthia wailed and started to fall, and two other students flew up and grabbed her as she fell off her broom.  
Diana came to the ground and landed, holding her broom up next to her. Professor Nelson walked up to her.   
"Excellent work, Diana," Professor Nelson congratulated. Diana dipped her head.  
"It was nothing," Diana replied. The other girls landed on the ground, and Cynthia stood up, shaking. Diana walked up to her. "How are you feeling?"  
Cynthia looked up at her, her lip quivering. "I'm fine, thank you Diana," Cynthia responded. Diana nodded and turned back to the group of students.   
Wangari clapped her hands excitedly. "Wow! True sportsmanship showed by Diana!" She exclaimed. Diana just closed her eyes and held her head high, and Akko let out an angry huff and crossed her arms.  
Professor Nelson called some more students, and the students watched as the ones chosen fought in the air. The fights lasted longer than Diana and Cynthia's, and none had Diana's skill. There was a first aid team to help the students who were hurt.  
"Next up, Atsuko Kagari and Itzel Howley!" Professor Nelson called.  
"You ready?" Akko asked Amanda. Her girlfriend nodded, and they both got on Amanda's broom.  
"Kagari! You can't ride with someone else!" Professor Nelson shouted. Akko gazed at her sadly, and Professor Nelson crinkled her nose. "Are you saying you still can't fly?"  
"She'll be fine with me," Amanda replied. Professor Nelson sighed heavily.   
Itzel was a tall blonde girl from Austria. She said the words and started to hover on her broom.  
"I'll do the flying, you do the fighting, okay?" Amanda told Akko. Akko nodded, and they started to fly as well.  
Amanda took off fast towards Itzel, who raised her wand. Akko shot some magic at her, but only a small spurt came out. Amanda groaned, and Itzel shot magic at them, letting out a huff. Amanda flew down to avoid the blow, then flew quickly at Itzel.  
"Look at them go!" Pratibha shouted. Their friends watched as Akko shot magic at Itzel, and Itzel shot magic back. Amanda maneuvered around Itzel, yelling at Akko to use more power, but Akko couldn't.  
Suddenly, Itzel threw magic the two girls. It hit Amanda in the face, and Amanda let out a screech and the broom started to fall.   
"Pull up, pull up!" Akko shrieked, tears flying from her eyes as they fell. Amanda covered her face with her hands, screaming, and other girls flew up and caught them, placing them gently on the ground.  
"Baby, are you okay?" Akko asked, holding Amanda. She uncovered her face, her eyes watering, her face bright red.  
"I'm fine. That packed quite a punch!" Amanda replied. Akko smiled and hugged her, and Itzel landed next to them.  
"Sorry I hurt you," Itzel apologized. Amanda stood up and shook her head.  
"You're fine!" Amanda responded. Itzel nodded and took her place back in the crowd.   
Akko and Amanda followed her and joined their friends. Professor Nelson read off her list.   
"You could hardly use any magic," Sucy said. Akko glared at her angrily, and Amanda rubbed her face.  
"Pratibha Dwivedi and Bianca Perold!" Professor Nelson shouted. Pratibha gulped and grabbed her broom, walking forward. Bianca walked forward too, giving Pratibha a competitive look.  
"Be careful," Natalie murmured, her voice barely audible. Pratibha nodded and got on her broom, to which Bianca did the same.  
They flew in the air, and Pratibha found she was shaking. Bianca shot some magic at her, and Pratibha flew out of the way. Bianca narrowed her eyes and chased after Pratibha.  
"Don't fly away, you have to fight!" Professor Nelson ordered. Pratibha took a deep breath and shot some magic back at Bianca, who ducked down and the magic sailed over her.  
Pratibha turned her broom so it was facing Bianca, and she flew at her. Bianca shot three more magic spurts at Pratibha, and Pratibha dodged all three of them. Bianca gritted her teeth and shot another burst, and Pratibha couldn't dodge this one. It hit her arm and she let out a scream of pain.   
Pratibha held her wand up and threw some magic and Bianca. She dodged it and flew below her, and Pratibha flew after her, shooting more magic. Bianca twisted around and shot more magic as well, but Pratibha dodged them.  
Suddenly, Pratibha shot another burst at Bianca, and due to the close range, it hit Bianca hard in the back. She groaned and her broom pitched forward. Two other girls flew up and grabbed her, lowering her to the ground.  
Pratibha landed and ran up to Bianca. "Are you okay?" Pratibha asked. Bianca grimaced but nodded, and Pratibha sighed.   
She headed back to her friends, clutching her arm as it burned. Natalie walked up to her, and Pratibha gave her a smile to let her know it was okay.  
"That was intense!" Wangari exclaimed, clapping her hands together.  
Professor Nelson called some more students to fight. They others watched, and Wangari announced them as they fought.   
"Up next, Natalie Morneau and Giana Molden!" Professor Nelson called. Natalie stepped forward timidly, but Giana refused to join her.  
"No! No, I won't fight her!" Giana wailed.  
"This is mandatory!" Professor Nelson demanded. Tears streamed from Giana's eyes.  
"No, I can't! She'll kill me!" Giana shouted. She pointed at Natalie. "She can summon demons! They'll kill me!"  
"She won't kill you!" Pratibha protested, getting close to Natalie.  
"Pratibha's right! Natalie is our friend, she wouldn't hurt anyone!" Akko agreed. Giana was having none of it.  
"No, she'll kill me, she'll kill me!" Giana wept, shaking her head. The other girls stared at Natalie, fear in their eyes. Tears rimmed Natalie's eyes.  
"She'll kill us! We can't trust her!" Girls yelled to each other. Professor Nelson grew angry.  
"Calm down, girls!" She yelled, but the students kept shouting and pointing at Natalie. The shy girl started to sob, covering her face.  
"Leave her alone!" Pratibha snapped, but the girls ignored her. Too hurt by the fearmongering, Natalie turned and took off into the building. "Natalie, wait!" Pratibha shouted, running after her.  
"Now look what you've done!" Amanda snarled at the girls, but they didn't care, they only continued to talk about how scared they were of Natalie.   
"Poor girl..." Lotte murmured. Nkiruka nodded, turning her head and watching as Natalie and Pratibha disappeared inside the school.  
Natalie threw the door open to her dorm and threw herself onto her bed, sobbing. Pratibha ran in after her and closed the door behind them. Natalie clutched the bedsheets tightly and cried.  
"Natalie!" Pratibha walked up to her. "Don't listen to them, they don't know what they're talking about, they don't know you!"  
"Neither do you!" Natalie retorted, her body trembling. "If you knew what I've done, you wouldn't be friends with me!"  
"What? Of course I would!" Pratibha responded. Natalie sat up and shook her head, facing away from Pratibha.  
"No you wouldn't! You don't know what these demons have done to me, what they've caused!" Natalie protested, her face wet with tears.   
"Then why don't you tell me?" Pratibha asked. "Get it off your chest!"  
Natalie's crying slowed, and she hung her head. "You wish to know?" She questioned quietly.  
"Yes! Yes I do!" Pratibha insisted. Natalie lifted her head.  
"Fine, I'll tell you." Natalie responded. She took a deep breath, her body shaking. "I've had these demons my whole life. I can hear their voices in my head all the time, and they tell me things. They..." She paused for a moment, and Pratibha sat on the bed. "They... They killed my parents."  
Pratibha stared at her. "W-what?" She stuttered.  
"They killed my parents!" Natalie snapped. "I-I killed my parents!" Her crying started back up again and she sobbed. "They're dead because of me! My parents are gone! Oh, maman, papa!" She covered her face with her hands and screamed, crying. Pratibha stared at her, unsure of what to say. What could she say?   
"Natalie..." Pratibha started, sighing. "You're... You're not responsible." Natalie lifted her head and stared at the wall, and Pratibha continued. "You didn't kill them, the demons did."  
"But I should be able to control them!" Natalie protested. Pratibha thought for a moment as Natalie cried.  
"But you're so young, having demons is such a strong power to have. It's not your fault you can't control them, and it's not your fault they killed your parents." Pratibha explained. "Look at me."  
Natalie turned her head to face Pratibha, her hair and face wet. Pratibha stared into her eyes. "It's not your fault."  
Natalie sniffled, then wrapped her arms around Pratibha, crying and burying her face in Pratibha's shoulder. Pratibha hugged her back, running her hand up and down Natalie's back.  
"I miss them," she whimpered, sniffling some more.  
"I know, but please remember that they loved you and know you're not responsible." Pratibha soothed. Natalie gave her a tight squeeze, and Pratibha continued to stroke her back. She started to hum a Hindi lullaby, and Natalie felt herself start to relax in Pratibha's arms.  
They stayed on that bed, hugging each other, and time seemed to slow down. Natalie felt comforted, and Pratibha felt calm. Pratibha's humming was soft and quiet, her voice rich and serene. Natalie took deep breaths, and her crying came to a stop. The voices in her head grew near silent. It was the most relaxed she had ever felt in her life.


	8. Chapter 8

A few days passed since they incident with Natalie. The frail girl mostly clung to the shadows, or followed Pratibha around. The other girls avoided her like the plague, except Akko, Amanda, and the rest of their friends.  
The nine girls, plus Koohara and Erich, sat outside. It was their downtime, and Akko, Lotte and Sucy were playing a Shiny Chariot card game. Amanda was sitting next to Akko, Jasminka was eating, and Constanze was watching Koohara and Erich. Pratibha and Natalie sat together while Nkiruka sat next to Sucy.  
"I win!" Akko exclaimed, holding up her card. Lotte gazed at hers.  
"For the fifteenth time," Lotte murmured.   
"I don't understand this game," Sucy growled, furrowing her eyebrows. Akko just giggled.  
"Who's up for round 16?" Akko asked. Amanda laid on her side, resting her chin on her hand.  
"You don't understand it because Akko made it all up," Amanda told them. Akko groaned and stared at Amanda, who just laughed and grabbed Akko's hand, squeezing it.   
Natalie twirled some grass around her finger. No one knew about their exchange that day. Pratibha was the only one who knew of Natalie's dark secret. Pratibha stared at her, sighing heavily.   
Jasminka poked Constanze's shoulder and held a chip up to her. Constanze took the chip and silently ate it. Koohara walked up to Jasminka and meowed, and Pratibha narrowed her eyes.  
"Koohara, don't beg!" Pratibha scolded. Koohara flattened her ears against her head and padded back to Erich, playing with him.  
Nkiruka watched as Akko, Lotte and Sucy started another game. She laughed. "Akko, have you got all the Shiny Chariot cards?" She asked.  
"Nope," Akko responded, frowning. "There was one really special one I was never able to get."  
Suddenly, there was a scream. They jumped to their feet.   
"What was that?!" Lotte exclaimed, fear in her eyes. Three girls ran toward them, panicking.  
"What?! What is it?!" Akko asked them. They stopped and stared wildly at her.  
"Black magic spirits are attacking!" One of the girls wailed.  
"You'd better get somewhere safe!" Another girl said, before they took off again. Akko crossed her arms.  
"I can fight!" Akko growled defensively.  
"No you can't," Sucy replied. Akko glared at her, balling her fists, but Amanda just grabbed her hand and started to pull her along.  
"Well, now's the time to put your skills to the test!" Amanda shouted. The rest of the girls followed, and they headed toward the dorms to grab their wands and brooms.  
Professor Ursula flew by them, and Akko waved her down. She hovered next to them.   
"Professor, what's going on?" Akko asked. Ursula's expression was grave.  
"The threat we've been preparing for has sent some of her black magic spirits," Professor Ursula explained. She looked into the distance. "You girls better get ready to fight."  
"We're ready!" Amanda shouted. With that, Professor Ursula took off into the sky. The girls ran to their rooms, grabbed their wands and brooms, then went back outside, ready to fight.  
Akko got on her broom and shouted the words to fly, but her broom went nowhere. Amanda sighed and pulled Akko onto her broom, then took off, the other girls following her. They raced toward the sounds of screaming and fighting.  
Up ahead, they saw multiple students and professors fighting black shadows. However, as they got closer, they noticed the black shadows took the shapes of eyeless corpses, and their calls were horrific.  
Constanze grabbed her magic gun and shot some magic at one of the spirits. It hit it right in the side, and the spirit let out a cry, sounding as if it were dying painfully. But instead, it turned and stared at them with its black sockets and raced toward them.  
As it approached, it opened its mouth, prepared to consume them, but they dodged it. Akko let out a loud scream as Amanda let the broom drop, and the beast chased them.  
Amanda took her wand and shot some magic at it as it chased them. It ducked and Amanda shot more, but it continued to dodge them.  
Furious, Akko grabbed the Shiny Rod and waved it around, pointing it as the spirit, but nothing came out.  
"That's not gonna work! Use your wand!" Amanda demanded. Akko grumbled something to herself and got out her regular wand, thrusting some magic at the spirit, but only a little spark came out. Amanda groaned and flew as fast as he could, swerving around trees to try to lose the spirit, but it kept right on their tails, its mouth open.  
Suddenly, magic hit it in the face and it screamed, reading back and covering its face with its hands. Amanda and Akko looked up to see Diana flying above them.  
"We could've handled it ourselves!" Akko snapped. Diana came down next to them.  
"It was about to eat you, you needed my help," Diana told them. Amanda and Akko just exchanged angry glances, but then the call came from behind again, and the spirit was back on track to eating them.   
Sucy and Nkiruka flew side by side. Sucy reached into her pocket and pulled out a potion, turning around and chucking it at the spirit chasing them. It hit the spirit, releasing a purple smoke, and it moaned deeply, stopping for a moment.  
"That was awesome!" Nkiruka shouted.   
"Let me see you try!" Sucy replied.   
Nkiruka nodded and pulled out a bottle from her pocket. She threw it at the spirit, and ashes covered the spirit's face, making it cough and choke.  
"Not too bad!" Sucy told Nkiruka.  
"Thanks!" Nkiruka responded.  
Lotte flew with Jasminka and Constanze. A spirit chased them, and Jasminka grabbed Constanze and held her over her shoulders. Constanze took her magic gun and fired some shots, and they hit the spirit in the face. The spirit let out a screech and stopped, swiping at its face with its clawed hands.  
"Constanze!" Lotte shouted. Constanze looked at Lotte and gave her a swift nod, then climbed back onto her broom, which Jasminka had been holding.   
Another spirit raced after them, and Lotte waved her wand and sent some magic at it. Jasminka did the same, and the magic combined to hit the spirit in the chest. The spirit groaned and dropped back, but continued to chase them.  
Pratibha and Natalie flew alongside each other, looking for spirits to fight. Their eyes landed on three girls: Haruko, Gweneviere, and Osana. Two spirits advanced towards them, and they tried to blast them with magic, but they were pushed back because the spirits were too strong.  
Pratibha and Natalie flew over. "We'll help you!" Pratibha shouted. The three girls looked over at Pratibha and Natalie, then started to scream in terror, more so than before.  
"No, go away!" Osana shrieked. Pratibha furrowed her eyebrows.  
"What?" Pratibha asked.  
"That girl! The demons! She'll kill us!" Gweneviere cried. Natalie's eyes filled with sorrow and she flew away, tears streaming down her face.  
"Natalie!" Pratibha shouted. She turned to the three girls. "Look what you've done!" She snapped. She used her magic to strike one of the spirits, then turned and chased after Natalie. The spirit she hit followed her.  
Pratibha called after Natalie, not paying attention to the spirit. The spirit got closer and closer, and Natalie noticed as it came close to clamping its jaws down on Pratibha. She stopped in midair and turned around, using her magic to hit the spirit in the face. The spirit groaned and stopped, and Natalie continued to fly away, Pratibha chasing her.  
Diana shot some magic at another spirit, holding her arm up so Amanda and Akko were behind her. Akko grimaced and waved some magic at the spirit, and surprisingly, it hit it. The spirit roared in pain, then turned and fled.  
Diana looked at Akko with her piercing blue eyes. "I must say, that was impressive, for you at least," Diana told her. Akko smiled, and Amanda reached back and grabbed her hand.  
The girls continued to fight off the spirits, and soon enough, the spirits all fled. The girls cheered and high fived each other. Akko and her friends landed on the ground, hugging each other. However, Pratibha and Natalie were no where in sight.  
Ethelinda walked out, the other professors with her. She dipped her head. "Everyone fought wonderfully," she said aloud. The girls cheered, but Nkiruka raised her hand.  
"But ma'am, why would she only send a couple of spirits rather than all at once?" Nkiruka asked. Ethelinda looked at her with grave eyes.  
"She wants to strike fear in our hearts," Ethelinda replied. Nkiruka nodded, her face twisted in a frown. Ethelinda raised her head high. "We will continue practicing our fighting until the threat actually arrives. I know we'll be ready by then."   
"Yeah! We got this!" Akko cheered. The other girls roared with cheer, and while they did, Akko paused and looked around. She turned to Nkriuka. "Uh, Nki... Where's Pratibha and Natalie?"  
Nkiruka's eyes grew wide as she looked around. "No idea. I pray they're not hurt."   
"Let's go find them," Lotte suggested, overheating their conversation. The seven girls then headed out of the crowd and toward the trees, calling the two girls' names.  
Natalie sat in the grass in the trees, weeping into her arms as she sat with her legs tucked into her chest. Pratibha landed next to her.  
"Natalie!" She called, kneeling down next to her. "You aren't gonna let what a couple of mean girls say about you hurt you, are you?"  
"Yes!" Natalie looked at her, sobbing.  
The other girls could hear her crying and they ran up. "What's going on? Is everything okay?" Lotte asked. Pratibha placed a hand on Natalie's shoulder.  
"Everyone thinks... Natalie is gonna kill them with her demons," Pratibha explained. Akko ran up to Natalie and grabbed her arm.  
"But your demons are totally hardcore! They're so cool! Everyone just hears demons and gets scared!" Akko tried to soothe. Natalie stared at her, her eyes watering.  
"Akko's right! Those demons saved us from the monster back in the dungeons!" Amanda reminded her. Lotte took a step forward, a warm smile on her face.  
"I don't see the big deal as long as you can control them," Lotte said. Natalie's eyes watered again as she stared at Lotte, and Lotte stared at her feet. "Oh..."  
"I think it's cool, demons are badass," Sucy said to her. Natalie shrugged her shoulders, and Jasminka stepped forward, holding chips.  
"Want some?" She asked, holding a chip out. Natalie took the chip and stuck it in her mouth, chewing softly.  
"Come on now, let's head back and stop sweating small stuff." Nkiruka soothed. Natalie stood up and slowly walked toward them, slumping her shoulders. They turned and got on their brooms, flying back to the school. Natalie felt a little better.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day came, but instead of the regular sun shining in the sky, it was dark. There was no sign of the moon or stars. The girls whispered worriedly among themselves.

Akko looked out the window and felt herself shake. "What time is it? Noon?" She asked, looking back at her friends. Lotte checked her watch, a concerned look on her face.

"Yes," Lotte responded, fear in her eyes.

Amanda slammed her fist down in her palm. "I'll take this evil witch to the ground!" She shouted. Akko ran over and high fived her girlfriend, and the two laughed.

"Except you two almost died last time and Diana had to save you," Sucy pointed out, her voice monotonous. Akko and Amanda looked over at her, their eyes narrowed in nasty glares. Sucy just shrugged, knowing she was not wrong.

Jasminka was still eating her chips, and Pratibha stared at her. "Jas, how can you eat at a time like this?" Pratibha asked. Jasminka just held one out, and Pratibha politely declined. Koohara, however, took the chip, and Jasminka giggled.

"Is there anything we can do?" Nkiruka asked. Constanze nodded, wanting to know as well. 

Lotte sighed and looked out the window. "I don't know," Lotte answered. "The professors told us to stay in our rooms. I guess we'll have to wait and see."

Ethelinda stood at the outing across from the Socerer's Stone. She couldn't even see the stone, for its magic was shining black. She stood with her arms behind her back, staring ahead. She knew what was coming.

A flash of lightning cracked in the sky, and Ethelinda closed her eyes. When she reopened them, Black Banshee stood on her broom right in front of her.

"Professor Ethelinda," Black Banshee stated, baring her teeth and smirking. "I knew I'd find you here."

"It's principal now," Ethelinda responded, narrowing her eyes. Black Banshee raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? Is it now?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows but keeping the same smile on her face. "Well, I guess a congratulations is due."

"What do you want?" Ethelinda snapped. Black Banshee's smile disappeared and was replaced by a scowl.

"I came to see you," Black Banshee responded. She twirled her hair around her finger. "Oh, how I've missed you."

"Enough with the jokes, tell me what you want," Ethelinda retorted. Black Banshee cocked an eyebrow.

"Rude," she replied. "Well, since you really want to know, I've come to get revenge." She moved closer, her eyes a smoldering green fire. "Revenge for kicking me out of the school, for exiling me." 

"I had every reason to do so," Ethelinda snapped back. "Darkness was growing in your heart." 

Black Banshee stepped on the ledge, holding her broom. She walked closer to Ethelinda. "You put so much faith in me, you trained me, you taught me, you trusted me! I tried my hardest, I did my best to make you proud, and you punish me?!" 

"It was to keep the others safe!" Ethelinda hissed, pulling out her wand. Black Banshee saw this and pulled out her wand as well, a black mist floating around the end.

"Some mentor you are, giving up on your student like that!" Black Banshee snarled, her face red with anger. "I trusted you, Ethelinda! I looked up to you, and you betrayed me!"

Ethelinda frowned, dipping her head. "I'm sorry, it was for our own good," Ethelinda responded. Black Banshee's gaze softened. "I loved you. Do you know how much sending you away hurt me?"

Black Banshee stared at Ethelinda, her lip quivering. Ethelinda prayed Black Banshee would forgive her and stop this madness.

However, Black Banshee's angry expression came back. "I don't want your apology, I want revenge!" Black Banshee growled. She waved her wand and thrust a shot at Ethelinda, but she was ahead of Black Banshee and jumped out of the way. 

Ethelinda waved her wand as well and shot two magic bolts at Black Banshee, who blocked the shots with her magic. She then shot some magic at Ethelinda, who deflected it with a shield.

"Your magic has gotten stronger," Ethelinda noted, a bit surprised.

"I can say the same about you," Black Banshee smirked. She then jumped at Ethelinda and shot some more magic at her. Ethelinda dodged the shots, doing flips away. 

As she flipped, she shot more magic at Black Banshee, who held up a shield. The shots hit the shield, dissipating. 

The shot more magic at each other, not getting one hit. Both were skilled, and it was a hard fight for both.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Black Banshee bellowed. Ethelinda stopped, her chest rising and falling in rhythm of her labored breathing. Black Banshee looked behind her. "Boys!"

That moment, the black magic spirits appeared next to her. Ethelinda got her magic ready and started to shoot at them, but they avoided her magic and soon overpowered her. She watched in horror as they swarmed her, and Black Banshee cackled.

Once the spirits had consumed her, they turned to Black Banshee. She smirked. "Go, get the rest of the teachers and students." 

They howled and raced inside, looking for people to consume. Students and professors pulled out their wands to attack, but found that their wands contained no magic. They screamed as the spirits engulfed them.

Ursula saw this and turned, racing to where Akko and the others were. A spirit noticed her and flew after her. She looked back, gasping as she ran, leaping out of the way as the spirit charged at her.

"You're not gonna catch me, not before I tell Akko," Ursula hissed, running. The spirit hit the wall, knocking down some pillars that landed on top of it.

Ursula stopped at Akko's door and pounded on it. Akko opened up frantically, frowning.

"Professor?" She asked. Ursula ran inside and closed the door. 

"You've girls got to run," Ursula demanded. 

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Amanda hissed. Ursula stared at her, exhausted.

"Amanda, Black Banshee took our magic," she informed. The girls gasped.

Lotte lifted up her wand and waved it around, saying a spell, but nothing happened. She looked at Ursula, panicking.

There was a bang on the door, and Ursula stood in front of the girls. She didn't know what she'd do without her magic, but she wanted so bad to protect these girls. However, she knew she was helpless.

Suddenly, the hinges on the door broke and the door came down, and there was the black magic spirit. It hissed at them and charged, and they screamed, everything going black.


	10. Chapter 10

Akko blinked open her eyes, her head throbbing. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but when they did, up ahead she saw bars. She crawled over to the bars, grabbing them and weakly pulling herself up to look outside.

She could barely make out cells on the other side of the room, to the left, and to the right. The room was circular, and it was full of cells, stacked up on top of each other. She recognized the faces in the cells- they were students! They held the bars and looked out, fear in their eyes.

In the middle of the room was a stone throne, and there sat a woman dressed in all black. She was beautiful, but Akko knew who it was. It was Black Banshee.

"Akko!" A whimper from behind came. Akko turned her head to see Lotte and Sucy stirring. Their eyes were glazed over, and Lotte rubbed her head. 

"Lotte! Sucy!" Akko said. She crawled back over to them, and Lotte stared at her.

"Where are we?" Lotte asked, her voice shaky. She almost fell over when she sat up, and Akko caught her.

"I think we're in some sort of dungeon," Akko answered. Sucy headed toward the bars, grabbing them.

"We're in cells," she noted. Lotte looked over.

"What?!" She asked. She crawled over to the bars too, grabbing them and shaking them, trying to get free. 

"That's not gonna work," Sucy told her. Lotte let out a whimper and let her head fall.

"Akko?!" Someone yelled. Akko's head shot up. She recognized that voice anywhere.

"Amanda!" Akko put her face to the bars and reached out. She could barely make out Amanda's hand in the cell next to her. Akko's heart raced. Was she hurt? "Are you okay?" Akko asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?" Amanda questioned. "If you aren't, I won't let them forget it."

"My head hurts, but I'm okay." Akko responded. Amanda sighed heavily.

"Hey Jas, Constanze, you two okay?" Amanda asked. Akko could hear two murmurs of affirmation. "Okay, good." Amanda said.

"What are we going to do?" Lotte asked sadly. Akko looked at Sucy, who shrugged her shoulders.

"Girls?" Another voice came. It was to the right of Akko this time, and she immediately recognized the voice.

"Pratibha?" Akko asked. She could hear people shuffling around in the other cell.

"Yes, it is me, Akko," Pratibha responded. "Nkiruka. Natalie, are you two okay?"

"I-I'm fine, just shaken," Nkiruka responded. There was a small whimper after that, and Akko recognized Natalie's voice. 

"I-I'm okay..." Natalie's voice was barely audible. Pratibha drew in a deep breath.

"Thank goodness," she breathed. Natalie crawled up to Pratibha and hugged her tightly, and Pratibha returned the hug.

"Hey, lady!" Amanda snapped, pressing her face up against the bars. Akko looked over to see Black Banshee turn her head in Amanda's direction. Amanda continued. "What are you gonna do to us? Keep us here until we rot?"

Akko could barely make out a smile cross over Black Banshee's lipsticked lips in the dim light. "Foolish girl," she hissed, her eyes shining sadistically. "Keeping you all here for so long would just be boring. No, I'll do something so bad to you, so painful that you wish you were dead." 

"You wouldn't dare!" Amanda hissed. Black Banshee let out a laugh.

"You underestimate me, little girl." She responded. "I've taken your magic, so now there's nothing you can do to stop me." 

"Damn you!" Amanda snapped. Black Banshee just narrowed her eyes, her smile widening. 

"Now you realize how worthless and insignificant you are without your magic. You are completely helpless." Black Banshee let out a loud laugh that echoed throughout the dungeon. She watched as girls desperately clawed at the bars, trying to free themselves. "How pitiful!"

The beautiful witch stood up, heading toward the entrance of the room. "I'll be back. While I'm gone, I'll think just of what I'll do to you. Don't go anywhere... not like you can." She let out one loud laugh before exiting the room.

Some of the girls started to cry, fearing for their lives. They hugged each other, outstretching their arms past the bars, begging for help.

Amanda kicked the wall angrily. "Dammit!" She hissed. Akko wanted so bad to reach over and hug her, to let her know it would be okay, but the walls and bars kept her from doing just that.

Akko looked at all the girls. Her eyes had adjusted to the dim light, and she could make out their faces. Her eyes scanned them, and then she noticed someone. It was Diana.

Her blue eyes were dull as she sat next to Hanna and Barbara, who looked just as defeated as she did. Akko felt a pang of sympathy. Diana was always level headed, and she never gave up, but now she looked hopeless. Akko finally realized the gravity of their situation. They were going to die.

"Koohara? Where's Koohara?!" Pratibha wailed. 

"Koohara's gone?" Lotte asked, sitting near the wall. They could hear Pratibha cry.

"I don't know where she is! What if she's dead?!" Pratibha sobbed. Sucy cracked a small smile.

"Maybe this lady made a small rug out of her," Sucy murmured. 

"Sucy!" Lotte scolded.

"That's not good, that's not good at all," Nkiruka said, panic in her voice.

Pratibha pulled at her hair and cried, and Natalie crawled over and gently hugged her. Pratibha calmed down a bit, feeling warm in Natalie's arms, but the fear of losing Koohara still made her shake.

Constanze shuffled around too, making small noises. She didn't show it, but panic was flaring up inside of her.

"Is Erich gone?" Jasminka asked gently. Constanze nodded, and Jasminka and Amanda exchanged worries glances.

"We gotta find a way out of here," Akko said. She stuck her face against the bars and looked around. Black Banshee was gone, but in her place were the black magic monsters they had fought earlier.

"It's useless, Akko," a voice came. Akko immediately recognized Diana's voice. She looked over and saw Diana staring at her. "We're not getting out of here."

"So you're just gonna give up?!" Akko asked, surprised. Diana looked away.

"What else is there to do?" Diana asked. Akko narrowed her eyes.

"Well!... I don't know. But there has to be something!" Akko replied desperately. Diana just sighed and shook her head sadly.

Suddenly, Lotte let out a gasp. Sucy and Akko looked at her, and she pulled something out of her pocket... a paper clip?

"What's the big deal about a paper clip?" Akko asked. Sucy rubbed her hands together excitedly.

"Sweet! We can use that to pick the lock!" Sucy said silently. 

"You're gonna pick the lock with a paper clip?" Amanda asked. "Do you know how?"

"No, you do it for me," Sucy replied, secretly handing the paper clip over to her. Amanda quickly grabbed it, making sure the monsters weren't watching, and then bent it correctly, sticking it in the lock outside the cell. There were a few clicks, then the door slowly slid open. Akko giggled softly. 

"You seem to be an expert," Akko laughed. 

"I've had lots of practice," Amanda responded. She, Jasminka and Constanze slowly slid out of the cell, looking at the monsters. They weren't paying attention.

Other girls watched in awe as Amanda picked the locks of Akko'a and Pratibha's cells. The doors opened up, and the other six girls walked out.

Suddenly, one of the monsters looked over and noticed them. They let out their loud moans and raced at them. Amanda, Jasminka and Constanze looked at Akko and the others.

"You get going! We'll distract them!" Amanda shouted. Akko's heart pounded with anxiety and leaving her girlfriend behind.

"What are you gonna do? You don't have magic!" Akko reminded her, panic in her voice. 

"Just go! We'll be fine!" Amanda snapped.

Akko nodded and took off toward the exit of the room, the other five following. One monster noticed them and started to chase them. The six raced through a dark hallway, the monster fast on their heels. Up ahead was a door, and they continued to run, sure if they reached the door and closed it behind them, the monster couldn't get through.

Their legs screamed at them to stop running, but they kept pushing forward. The monster let out its groans, outstretching its arms, ready to grab them.

They threw open the door, and the six ran through the opening. Nkiruka slammed the door behind her, locking it, and the monster stopped and let out a scream, stuck behind the door.

"Nice job!" Akko beamed, highfiving Nkiruka. She smiled.

"It was nothing!" She replied. Sucy walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, smiling.

"Now where?" Akko asked, looking around. Lotte stepped forward.

"We must be on the bottom floor," Lotte said. "Let's just keep heading forward and see what we find."

The six walked forward, and eventually, they reached a staircase. They headed up the staircase, their hearts pounding in anxiety as they headed up. They were afraid something would pop out at any moment. Eventually, the floor evened out. They stopped, breathing heavily from the long climb. 

"Akko!" A voice came. Akko recognized that voice anywhere. Tears filled her eyes as she looked over to see Amanda and her group running up to them.

"Amanda!" She wailed, racing over to her and hugging her tightly. Amanda hugged her back, and they kissed passionately.

"Thank goodness you three are okay!" Pratibha smiled, running over. Amanda pulled back and put her hand on Pratibha's shoulder.

"Told you we'd be fine!" Amanda grinned.

"Now what?" Akko asked. Amanda stepped forward, scanning the area. 

"Lets find this lady, and I'll give her a piece of my mind!" Amanda snapped. Akko clenched her fists.

"Yeah!" She grinned.

"What are we going to do to her? We don't have magic." Pratibha asked. Natalie huddled close to her, looking frightened.

"Y-yeah, w-we're completely useless. S-s-she'll kill us." Natalie's eyes grew wide, and she shook. Amanda stared at them.

"We won't die! We just gotta..." her voice trailed off and she thought for a moment. The other girls exchanged glances. Amanda sighed heavily. "Yeah, I don't know. We'll figure something out though!"

"I sure hope so," Pratibha frowned. Nkiruka laughed and wrapped her arm around Sucy.

"We'll be fine! Won't we, Sucy?" Nkiruka grinned. Sucy smiled back at her.

"Yes we will," she responded. 

Amanda stared at the darkness ahead. "Come on, lets go!" She shouted. The six girls raced forward, preparing both physically and mentally for whatever was awaiting them.


End file.
